Lagerstroemia speciosa (Queen's Crape Myrtle)

Native from China’s Yunnan province through tropical Asia, this tree grows in open forests and along river margins. It sheds its leaves during dry periods and bears pink to purple flowers with crinkled petals in upright panicles. Large bees pollinate the flowers, which fade toward white and fall after a few days. Its woody capsules split into six parts, releasing winged seeds dispersed by wind. Widely planted for shade and ornamental flowers, it also supplies reddish-brown timber called pyinma, used for construction, flooring, boats and handicrafts. In the Philippines, its leaves and dried fruits are traditionally prepared as banaba tea. Photographed in Barranquilla, Colombia.